Merry Christmas Slade Part 2
by DuckonMooseEh
Summary: The Sequal to Merry Christmas Slade. May need to go up a rating. REVIEW OR THE TUBA WILL EAT ME!
1. Close As Tomorrow

Close As Tomorrow

Ok, remember what I said about the holidays being a bad time of year for me? Well, I've just finished decorating my Christmas tree with my parents and sister, so I've decided that its time for me to write the sequel to Merry Christmas, Slade. Aren't you happy? It may or may not have multiple chapters… We'll find out soon.

Anyways, I got this idea at church from a song the band sang (entitled, predictably, "Close As Tomorrow"). I've used, and modified the chorus a little for the story, but you'll recognize it when you see it.

Keep in mind, this story takes place almost exactly a year after Merry Christmas, Slade. That means it is once again Christmas. Slade and Terra have taken over most of the world, unopposed by anyone, and the bodies of the Titans rot where they lay. A small band of rebels is in the eastern US, but they're horribly outmatched and are falling fast.

You have the background, so on to the story…

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, or Close As Tomorrow.

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She was mad. This had been going on for almost 5 months now, and there was no logical explanation.

Terra sat up in horror, drenched in sweat in her bed. She looked at her new home, the basement of the new palace of the ruler of the world, trying to remember her dream.

It had been in the caves. Beast Boy had crawled into the caves, that strange energy slowly… eating him. There was no other way to describe it. It was black, with a bright blue-white around the outside.

She watched as he staggered in, and shouted at her "body", the rock figure. He heard her shout at it that she had killed the others, and begin to laugh, shouting that the Titans were finished. She watched as he screamed in pain, and then shouted to the uncaring cavern, to Raven, to forgive him for what he had done. And she watched as his body was completely encased in blackness.

Then she had woken up.

As soon as she woke, she stalked to the shower, angry and on edge. She thought about the events of the previous year as she walked down the cave to the bathroom.

It had been one thing for her to see them before, when she had thought they were dead. That time when she had "killed" them all, one by one. That time there had never been any bodies, any proof of their deaths. But this time was different. Robin lay in plain slight, his body lying in the rocks where he had landed. In a brief walk through the tower, she had personally seen all of the other rotting bodies.

_No, that isn't right,_ she thought as she walked into the bathroom and pulled of her clothes, preparing to shower, _Starfire's body had been there along with bits of Cyborg's, but Raven's was gone… and Beast Boy's disappeared, too._

She felt like she was being watched. But she always did now. Besides, if any of them had survived, surely they'd have done something by now.

When she finished her shower, she donned her armor and walked, reading the one word written on the steamy mirror: _Traitor_.

As she walked down the cave to the stairs which would lead up to the "throne room" where Slade trained and held trials, she noticed a shadow follow her silently. Terra turned to stare at it, and it stopped, then slowly approached into the light. It was Robin.

The figure stared at her, silently, and she once more noticed that she could see through it slightly.

"You aren't real," she said to it, smirking, "You're all dead, and Slade and I've conquered the world."

The figure glared at her hatefully, and two more approached. They were Starfire and Cyborg.

Starfire watched her sadly, he red hair gleaming. She looked the same as she had in life.

"Whore," Terra said to the girl, then laughed at the phantom. Finally she turned to look at Cyborg.

He was the only one who looked different. He appeared all human, but she could also see the robotic elements superimposed over the real body parts. It was strange to see what he had looked like as a human, as well as a machine.

"Still hanging around?" she asked, "What is all of your people's damn problems? Can't you just accept that we've won?"

The figures faded slowly, still watching her almost sadly. She laughed again and turned to walk up the stairs.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Another visit, Apprentice?" Slade asked the teen when she entered. He sat on the throne at the end of the massive stone hall. Before him stood 5 men: 3 guards and two rebels who had been captured and were being sentenced.

"Yes, Slade," she said. She walked up to stand just to the right of her trainer, looking at the pitiful young men before her. They were both barely older than her, and were both watching Slade in terror.

"I shall not stand for rebellion," Slade said, looking at them, "but I also acknowledge the use of men such as you."

Terra looked at Slade, wondering what he was doing.

"You are the men who killed over a hundred of my robots before they managed to capture you, using minimal armaments in the process, correct?"

They stared at him blankly, and then one nodded. He had short blonde hair, trimmed and falling to just barely get into his eyes. He looked like he had been in hell for months. He was dirty and ragged, about 6 feet tall, and with calculating hazel eyes peering at them. Terra immediately knew that this man was a threat, or a valuable asset.

"I will give you an option," Slade said, leaning forward slowly, "You two, Kyle and Nathan, if I have your names right, can either work for me, or be executed by my apprentice. In any way she wishes.

Terra stepped forward, eagerly watching the boys. She was rarely given the pleasure of executions.

The second boy, a Chinese boy, looked at her. He also had short hair, although black, and he was also ragged.

"Yes, I am Nathan, and this is Kyle," he said, and after a glance at his companion, he spoke, "and we will work for you."

Terra sighed, stepping back to her normal spot. Slade laughed harshly.

"Good…" he murmured, then spoke more loudly, "bring in prisoner 114."

One of the guards left, walking quickly to fulfill Slade's command. Slade watched the two in front of him.

"I am going to show you what happens to people who fail me, so that you understand the consequences."

Moments later, a man was dragged in. He was half-starved, looking at them with mad eyes. He spoke gibberish, screaming and pointing at Slade until the guard kicked him in the stomach; he immediately curled into a fetal position on the floor.

"Apprentice," Slade said, still looking at the captives, "indulge yourself."

Terra stepped forward a glint in her eyes, she walked slowly down to the man and held out her hand. A chunk of rock flew from the wall. It was extremely sharp, and about a foot long.

Terra used her powers and "arms" of rock reach up from the floor, grabbing the man and pulling him straight. She heard the boys gasp behind her when they saw her use her powers.

She smiled at the horrified man she now held totally defenseless, then calmly cut open his stomach. His screams echoed through the massive room as his entrails spilled out onto the floor, and she saw the Chinese kid cringe in the corner of her eye; the other looked like he was going to vomit.

She continued cutting, making large gashes in his legs and arms. Finally she stepped back from the screaming man. Two large slabs of rock rose from the ground and slowly pushed together, crushing the prisoner.

His screams ended with a sickening crunch as one of his snapping ribs punctured his heart. The stones were only about 4 inches apart.

Terra walked back up to her spot, letting the rocks slip back into the ground. The body landed with a crunch of bone behind her. When she was there, she looked back at the boys. The blonde had vomited, it lay in a pool at his feet, the other looked about ready to faint.

"Do you understand?" Slade asked them dangerously.

Both boys knelt quickly, saying, "Yes, Slade."

"Then you are to immediately go to the front lines, the two of you are my newest commando squad. Dismissed."

The guards stepped back, and then helped the boys to their feet. They presented the two with uniforms and walked with them to the doors, no longer guarding them. There was no need. They knew what would happen if they rebelled.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The sky outside was dark, as the two boys walked to the airport. They knew their orders, and they knew what would happen if they disobeyed those orders.

"There it is," the blonde said, pointing to the island out in the bay. He was pointing to a red speck on shore, the body of Robin. The Tower sat in disrepair behind the body.

"Kyle, that's Robin's body," Nathan replied dubiously, looking at the speck.

"What else could it be?" Kyle said.

They stood, looking in silence, and heard a soft song echo across the water. It was the most beautiful voice they had ever seen. They listened to the tragic song.

**Close as tomorrow the sun shall appear.**

**Freedom is coming and healing is near.**

**And I shall be with you, in laughter and pain,**

**To stand in the wind, and walk in the rain;**

**To walk in the rain…**

They couldn't tell who was singing, but it seemed to be coming from the island. Both boys started slowly walking down to the beach, drawn by the mesmerizing voice.

**Close as tomorrow, the Titan's end is here.**

**Freedom is coming, and your death is near.**

**And I shall be with you; I'll share in your pain.**

**We'll stands in the darkness, and fight off their reign.**

We'll fight off their reign… 

They reached the beach, looking at the island. Fog began to cover the bay, making everything look surreal.

**Close as tomorrow the sons shall appear.**

**Our time is over and their time is here.**

And I shall be with you, there'll be no more pain 

**As we watch from the darkness. We've conquered the rain.**

**We've conquered the rain…**

The song ended, leaving the boys to look at the island in confusion. They hesitantly turned to walk to the airport, as per their orders.

And somewhere inside the tower, a green boy moved for the first time in a year, causing the weeping blue-cloaked girl who watched over him to smile.

"Welcome back, Beast Boy," Raven said to the now boy who was returning to consciousness.

Ok, how was that? Good? Bad? Somewhere in between? Please tell me, I wanna know what you're thinking of my stories.

Yeah, I know, it doesn't make sense… Raven and BB are supposed to be dead, but the next chapter should explain it.

Anyways, the song pretty much tells the plot of the rest of the story, kinda like a prophecy or something. Not everything, of course, but it outlines it.

Finally, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! The Leprechauns in my hair have demanded that in return for not launching ICBMs (basically nukes) at the Leprechauns in my pants. Do you have any idea how terrible it is to have nukes flying at your crotch?!?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Damn… I wanted this to be a one-shot, but I have ideas that need to be at least 3 or 4 chapters… Probably a lot longer… Oh well, I've got nothing better to do than to write.

"What? Where am I?" Beast Boy asked groggily. He moaned in pain as he sat up, and he looked at Raven, not comprehending or remembering.

"You're back at the tower… and it's been a year," she stated, walking to sit down next to him.

Suddenly everything came back to him, and he fell back onto the bed, "You're dead! I killed you and… I'm dead, too…"

Raven actually laughed at this. After a moment she spoke, "No, you didn't kill either of us."

"But… I attacked you, and killed the others!" he said, images of the violence flashing through his mind, "Why are you treating me like a friend?"

A familiar voice spoke to him through the intercom, saying, "Dude, you are your friend… Raven's told me what happened, and she's spoken to the others. We forgive you."

Beast Boy stared in horror at the walls and ceilings for a moment, and began to shake violently. The voice had been-

"Cyborg, thank you," Raven said, "but don't you think you should have waited before revealing yourself to him?"

"Ok, what happened?" Beast Boy asked, "I remember killing you all, and then your curse-thing killed both of me."

"It didn't kill you, Beast Boy," Raven said, "If it had, you wouldn't be here. Secondly, Cyborg was a part of the tower. He will never fully leave it. He exists both here and in the afterlife now. And finally, you never killed me. That spell healed you, as long as you didn't fight it. You thought it would kill you, so you gave in to it. And lastly, it tied me to you. If you die, I'll die. And if you feel pain, I'll feel pain."

Beast Boy stared at him in incomprehension for a moment, "But… why'd you want to save me?"

"Simple," Cyborg said through the intercom, "She needs your help. It's been a year without the Titans, B, and one hell of a hard one."

Cyborg opened the blinds that covered the window, and Beast Boy looked out the window. The city was nearly leveled. Only a large courthouse-looking thing was undamaged. It was hard to see everything for sure; the windows were covered in dust.

"What happened," Beast Boy asked after he had gotten a view of the destruction. He noticed that all plant life had died.

"Slade," Raven said. When he looked at her in confusion, she elaborated, saying, "He wasn't really dead. And neither was Terra. The stone figure in the cave, the figure you destroyed, was just a statue. Terra and Slade had planned the entire thing. And once they figured we were all destroyed, well…" Raven gestured out the window.

"They've won…" he mumbled in horror, looking at the window, "They've destroyed the city."

"No," Cyborg said, "They've destroyed the world. All that is left is a part of the eastern US, and that is being conquered bit by bit everyday."

Beast Boy shook his head, "But I still killed you all. I deserve to die!"

Raven nodded, "Yes… you do. And when we've defeated Slade and Terra, I will personally kill you for what you have done."

Beast Boy stared at her, hurt by her words. He did deserve to die, but to hear her say that she would kill him, and to say it without any grief at all…

She seemed to have read his mind, "Beast Boy, please understand. I don't mean you deserve to die as a bad thing… entirely. You've killed them, yes, but you were forced to do it by Slade… and Terra," she said, rubbing her stomach gently. Looking down, he could see scars under her shirt, which he just realized were civilian.

"Why… why me?" he demanded.

"Because you were the least expected, B," Cyborg said.

Raven spoke again, trying to comfort him, "Life has been hell, Beast Boy. You've been almost dead; Cyborg is limited to the tower- literally. Star and Robin are both dead, and I can only communicate with them on a limited basis…" Raven sighed sadly.

"They're on their way, Rae," Cyborg said. Moments later, faint apparitions of Starfire and Robin appeared next to Raven, looking down at Beast Boy. Contrary to what he expected, both of them were smiling at him, although somewhat timidly.

"I'm uh… glad to see you awake Beast Boy," Robin said.

"Hello Beast Boy," Starfire said, "You are well since your violent mind-control by Slade, correct?"

Beast Boy almost fainted.

"Anyways… What I said about feeling your pain… It works the other way to," Raven said miserably, looking away from the green teen, "and since I want to really be with the others… We're both gonna have to die."

The others looked away, uncomfortably. Beast Boy looked at her, just as miserably, "I don't deserve to be with you… to be with any of you."

"No, you do!" Starfire shouted, "You did not mean to hurt us… although it was most painful, we do forgive you."

He looked at them all, unable to believe them, until Cyborg made an odd sound. The intercoms seemed to be attempting to clear their throat.

"Raven… We've got an incoming transmission."

Raven ran up to the control room, leaving Beast Boy with the people he had murdered; with his friends.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Nearly an hour later, Raven walked back inside Beast Boy's room. He was in a fitful sleep, and the spirits were nowhere to be found.

She looked at him, wondering why she had worked so hard over the past year. It seemed impossible that they would win. Slade was taking over. But, strangely, she had to give hope to the others. She had to save the world, and she needed Beast Boy to do that.

Unfortunately, he could never understand the sacrifices which she had been forced to make to save them both. None of them could. She began singing as she thought.

Now I will tell you what I've done for you… 

Maybe she would tell him… It might be easier for him to understand everything else, especially the things she would be forced to do later.

**50,000 tears I've cried;**

**Screaming, deceiving, and bleeding for you.**

**And you still won't hear me.**

**I'm going under…**

In the end though, despite the fact that she needed him, it all rested on her. No matter what happened, she would have to make the final move. And she hated being teamed with a traitor, even one who was being mind-controlled. She didn't really need his help, did she?

**Don't want your hand; this time I'll save myself…**

No, she did need his help, as much as she hated to admit it. There was one good thing though; her spell allowed her to feel her emotions without any real danger to anyone.

**Maybe I'll wake up for once (Wake up for once);**

**Not tormented daily; defeated by you,**

**Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom…**

She had learned to speak (and sing) many different things at once. It allowed her to do many of the harder spells she knew. The memory of the training it had taken to perfect this skill made her smile momentarily.

"You're very beautiful when you smile," Beast Boy said, obviously awake. He was watching her, listening to her beautiful singing.

I'm… dying… again… 

**I'm going under (going under);**

**Drowning in you (drowning in you).**

**I'm falling forever (falling forever);**

**I've got to break through.**

**I'm going under…**

She could feel his emotions, another bit of the spell. She could also feel his pain. Every bit of pain he felt was multiplied exponentially when the spell transferred it to her, while it would decrease the pain when it transferred it from her to him. This had been an act of friendship she had given as he attempted to murder her.

He spoke again, saying, "You have a very good singing voice… How do you sing different things at once, Raven?"

**Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies,**

**(So I don't know what's real) so I don't know what's real and what's not (know what's real and what's not)**

His words stirred feelings in her; feelings she couldn't risk feeling just now. They confused and scared her more than anything that had happened so far.

**Always confusing the thoughts in my head (oo-oooh)**

**So I can't trust myself anymore.**

It wasn't his fault that this had happened. None of this was, but he would have to pay for what happened.

I'm… dying… again… 

**I'm going under (going under);**

**Drowning in you (drowning in you).**

**I'm falling forever (falling forever);**

**I've got to break through…**

Beast Boy began weeping bitterly, and Raven felt his despair flood her body. She fought the sadness and the pain he was feeling.

"I'm so sorry Raven," he moaned, "If I could kill myself and bring them all back, I would in an instant! I don't deserve friends like you!"

**I'm… so go on and scream;**

**Scream at me.**

**I'm so far away;**

**I won't be broken again…**

Raven fought his despair with extreme difficulty, feeling a tear run down her cheek as she continued singing.

**I've got to breathe,**

**I can't keep going under…**

She couldn't break down, especially in front of Beast Boy. She needed him to defeat Slade and Terra. She reached out and clasped his hand tightly, trying to comfort them both, and felt him grip hers back.

I'm… dying… again… 

**I can't keep going under (going under);**

**Drowning in you (drowning in you).**

**I'm falling forever (falling forever);**

**I've got to break through.**

**I'm… going under…**

Raven began a slight decrescendo, getting steadily quieter as she sang. After a moment Beast Boy fell asleep, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. She could feel his pulse through their hands; oddly, it had the same exact beat as hers. It was probably an affect of the spell.

**I'm going under (going under);**

**Going under (drowning in you)…**

She closed her eyes. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed Beast Boy- and probably even more help than he could provide. She murmured the last couple words of the song, then fell silent and slept, still desperately clutching Beast Boy's warm hand.

I'm going under… 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

They awoke several hours later, hearing a slight laugh from the intercom. Raven stood quickly, letting go of Beast Boy's hand, and glaring at the speakers.

"Yeah?" she spat venomously at them.

The laughter quickly stopped, even though it was doubtful whether Raven could do anything to Cyborg or not… who would be stupid enough to take that kind of risk?

"I was just wondering when the two of you were planning on leaving," Cyborg said to them, "I mean, the attack is scheduled for tomorrow, after all…"

Beast Boy sat up, feeling a bit calmer, "What attack?"

Raven looked at him, then sat sadly next to him, "Ok, we got a transmission from the resistance."

"The one on the East coast you guys talked about?"

"Yeah. They found some spies that, well…" she didn't know exactly how she should tell him this. The thought of the tragedies that had occurred could put him in a severe depression.

Cyborg spoke bluntly, "They found out that Slade is moving in on them. Keep in mind that over 90 of the world's current population is part of the resistance, the rest being mostly slaves to Slade. And about 60 of the worlds population from last year is dead as a result of the war.

Beast Boy stared at Raven for a minute, being unable to stare at Cyborg. She nodded slowly to him.

"Beast Boy… under no condition can we allow the resistance to fall. Slade isn't looking to conquer. He's made it clear that he will kill all that oppose him tomorrow."

You know something weird? I wrote this, and after I finished I realized that the song fit in perfectly. I barely changed anything. By the way, the next chapter is working out similarly. It's kinda freaky…

And for anyone who knows Toby Keith or Willie Nelson… next song is Beer For My Horses.

Finally, I'm having some trouble with part of the next chapter. It's going to have an actual battle, but I don't have any idea how to have Beast Boy and Raven be in that kind of battle. If I pull it off the way I want, I'll be surprised.

So I'll start to write that, and you can review. And you WILL review… Fred Flintstone had told me so…


	3. Chapter 3

Well, I'm writing this now, cause I won't have time tomorrow (keep in mind this is being written several days at least before when you are reading it). So I may not be able to post this for a while.

Anyways, I'm kinda getting confused about how to do this story. The battle may turn out good… or it could suck goats.

So… Hopefully it'll work, but nobody hold your breath, since the battle is at the end of the chapter and I don't want you to pass out…

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Beast Boy stared at the girl. Had she just said Slade was going to kill almost every human?

Cyborg spoke to them hesitantly, "Do you want me to bring up battle maps?"

Raven looked to Beast Boy, then stood and walked to the room that had once been the living room. Beast Boy stood, shaking slightly, and followed her.

The living room was like nothing they he had ever seen. It was painful, because this room was so different; but it was still so similar.

All of the major furniture stayed in the same place it had been the year before. The tree, now withered, stood in a corner, the ornaments and lights hanging from its dead branches in a mockery of the season, just like the rest of this world.

That was as far as the similarities went, though. All of the electronic systems in the tower had been moved into this room, forming a makeshift control center.

"There wasn't much use in having a living room when it was just me…" Raven muttered when she saw his expression. She walked over to the screen, then said, "Bring up the maps on screen 1. Any live footage you can get on 2, and any predictions you can make on 3."

"Working on it," Cyborg said. The room heated as the computers started to work. They could hear the machines humming all around them.

"Coming up… now," Cyborg said. Immediately three images popped up on the largest of the view screens. These were fully 10 feet square, and had nearly perfect picture.

The first showed a map of an area of land about 10,000 square miles. The topographical image showed elevation, trees, and even had infrared and radar imaging, allowing them to see pipes and natural caves underneath. It was a mountainous, forested area, but they couldn't tell any more than that.

The second map was infrared scans of the same area, showing troops in the area. It was being updated about every 10 seconds, providing a type of slideshow video of what was happening. They saw one large force up on a high ridge, making what appeared to be some type of trench to hold of the impending invasion. The area to the east of this ridge was completely covered in enemy troops, almost all humans and robots. There were also three tags highlighting Overload, Cinderblock, and Plasmus, as well as several showing enemy human units.

The final showed the predicted human fortifications in blue, their stationary gun turrets (under hasty construction in the previous picture) in green, and their forces spread along them in a weak line in teal. The enemy was spread out in front of them, with the human units closest. Overload, Plasmus, and Cinderblock were in the back of the army; apparently they were least replaceable to Slade.

"Can you give us a visual play of the predicted outcome of the battle?" Raven asked, sitting to look at the screen. Beast Boy followed.

On the screen, the humans under Slade's control struggled up the hill, under heavy fire by the resistance force. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, but for this first attack, the humans were victorious. The stationary guns in particular made mincemeat of the infantry

Next, the main body, consisting of robots, moved up the hill. They didn't protect or join the now-retreating human forces. They merely crushed them. The robots quickly neutralized the big guns, then whittled away at the humans, suffering very few casualties.

Within an hour after this second charge (which was compressed to about 5 minutes of video), all of the humans on the battlefield were annihilated.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

After several minutes of shocked silence, Beast Boy spoke, "This is all my fault. All those people are going to die, and its all my fault!"

"That's why we're going to help them, Beast Boy," Raven said. She looked at the screens, then spoke to Cyborg, "Ok, I want you hear monitoring the battle and giving us updates, ok. I need you to report to us over the Tower's communication systems."

"I got it Rae… wait… who made you the general of this battle?"

"Well, seeing as I'm the only one that is still alive and isn't responsible for the deaths of 3 Titans, I think it makes sense."

"Oh… well ok then," Cyborg said, "I'm gonna send Robin and Starfire over there. A little visual contact could be useful."

"Amazing… a battle with a person who can change into animals, a half demon, a person who is now the computer system of our home, and two ghosts," Raven said, "I never thought I'd see the day."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

In the short time before they left, Beast Boy ran upstairs. He grabbed several items. One, a photo book from Starfire's room. He tried to not look at the body as he walked past. The blood had long since dried, and been covered in dust, but the stench from the corpse was unbearable. As he left, he noticed that Starfire's spirit had begun following him. He knew he would never get used to that.

Next he went to Robin's room. He looked at the newspaper-covered walls, and walked to the table in the middle of the room. He stepped on something half way there; looking down, he saw the dried, partly rotted remains of Robin's tongue. He quickly grabbed the staff and a couple of the boomerangs off of the table and left, not looking at the window. Robin's phantom waited in the hall, and both spirits followed him to his room.

Inside, he dug in the closet for a minute, finally coming out with a small box that had been wrapped about 15 months previously. The paper was covered with a thick layer of dust now, but as he blew it off, the green paper underneath shone through. Turning it over, he saw the simple yellow bow and the tag that said "To Terra" on it. Robin and Starfire looked at him questioningly for a minute, but he just threw everything in a bag and walked out. He stopped in the doorway and looked back.

"I had been planning on giving this to her, in case we freed her from the stone…" He said, looking at the ground, "But now I'm going to taunt her with it, and then kill her."

He walked out the hall, and the surprised ghosts of his murdered friends disappeared.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Raven was waiting in the kitchen. As soon as he got there, Cyborg wished them luck, and he was once more encompassed in the oddly comforting blackness of Raven's powers, and he felt himself hurtling through space to the east coast. Within minutes, they were standing outside of a large tent on top of the battlefield they had seen on the maps.

"Take us inside," Raven told a startled guard. He had dropped his rifle. He gave a clumsy salute, grabbed his weapon, and escorted them inside.

Computers lined the walls of the tent. It reminded Beast Boy of the former living room in the Tower. People were rushing everywhere, giving orders to the troops. A man sat in the center, and he looked up at them as they entered.

"Who're you?" he asked them. He glared at the guard, who saluted and spoke.

"Sir, I don't know who the hell these people are, but I think we should listen to what they have to say."

"I'm Raven of the Teen Titans," Raven said immediately, "and this is Beast Boy. We're here to help you."

The man snorted, "What good do you think two teens could do against Slade? And besides, Beast Boy murdered all of the Titans, and then killed himself."

Raven calmly levitated the mans computer into the air, then slowly dropped it back down.

"Oh, magic," the man said, "I'm a general, I don't believe any of that crap. I admit that there were Titans, but you're just mimicking them for fame."

Beast Boy changed into a wolf and growled at the man, standing beside Raven, who tossed the general into the air and caught him just before he landed.

"Do I need to do anything more to convince you?" she asked him with a smirk.

The general pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the girl. Beast Boy quickly changed into a bear and jumped in front of her as the general spat, "Yeah… survive this."

The guard jumped back amazed as Raven quickly said something, but it was drowned out by a gunshot. The bullet hit a wall of black energy similar to that which they had arrived in, falling harmlessly to the ground.

The general laughed and lowered his weapon, saying, "Very well… we need some real help anyways."

He set the gun down and saluted, then walked forward to shake Raven's and the startled Beast Boy's hand. Actually, he shook Beast Boy's claw, since he still hadn't changed back to normal.

"We need your help to rescue as many of the humans as there are there. We're sending in a commando squad, and it would help a great deal if one of you would go with them."

"Beast Boy will do that," Raven said, "I'll help defend up here."

They all looked outside as they heard the thundering footsteps of Slade's army.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Raven walked along the front lines. _None of these people are soldiers,_ she thought, _they'd fall quickly if I don't help them…_

She looked out. Trees hid the enemy, and she didn't dare risk exposing herself by going for a look. Beast Boy would, and she was getting updates from Cyborg and the ghosts.

Now she could just wait, and hope that Beast Boy was successful.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Beast Boy had left the commando squad of 5 men behind. They were waiting at the edge of the enemy encampment.

He had quickly spotted about half the humans, grouped together at the edge of the army. He needed a diversion to distract the robots so that he could "capture" them. He gave a nod up to the leader of the commandos, then changed into a rat and scurried towards the humans.

Behind him, he heard the artillery on top of the mountain begin to fire into the back ranks of Slade's army. _That should be about enough of a diversion_, he thought.

As soon as her reached the men, he turned into himself and grabbed one who appeared to be a ranking officer. The surprised man turned and looked at him.

"Who're you?" he demanded.

"I'll tell you later," Beast Boy answered hastily, "Get all the men to run up the just into those trees. Whistle and some commandos will escort you up to the resistance's base."

The man looked at him suspiciously, "Slade said he'd let us live if we helped him…"

"He lied," Beast Boy said bluntly, "Now go!"

He quickly morphed into a rat and ran down into the rest of the army, looking for more humans.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Raven was surprised at how easily it had been. All of the humans had been recovered within an hour. It was almost as if Slade had counted on them leaving.

She sat, and waited for the battle to begin. She meditated, looking over the mountains. And she worried that they would be discovered too early.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Somewhere in Japan, two young men walked through the ruins of what was once Tokyo. They jumped into the air, and disappeared.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The battle started just before midnight. Raven was lucky; it would mask her powers.

The men around her screamed in pain as the relentless robots mowed them down. For every one man that fell here, though, over a dozen robots did. Raven hoped it would be enough.

In other parts of the battlefield, things weren't going so well. Beast Boy rushed back and forth, trying to lend help wherever things looked particularly grim, and things stayed fine until morning.

Finally, the men were only outnumbered by two to one… not counting Plasmus, Overload, and Cinderblock. Raven and Beast Boy had been forced to abandon the humans to defeat this threat.

Raven flung trees at Cinderblock, the first to come. Beast Boy changed into a rhino and charged it. That was the easy one. Physical strength alone had been enough to grind it down to gravel.

Overload had put up more of a fight, killing several hundred men and destroying several artillery guns before they destroyed him. The general had fired a lucky shot and hit the chip, destroying the creature.

They hadn't seen Plasmus. Cyborg reported he had retreated as soon as the other two fell.

In the end, all of the robots began to attack the very center of the defenses, where Raven stood. She tried to shield them as best she could, but the constant bullets and lasers were exhausting her, causing her shield to weaken. Beast Boy charged across the field with the commandos, destroying as much as they could. Their weapons ranged from handguns to heavy explosives to brute strength, and they were remarkably effective.

Raven collapsed from the strain as the robots began attacking more fiercely, and the shield collapsed. The men looked at her in horror, and watched as a bolt came and hit her square in the shoulder. With a scream, she collapsed onto the ground, smoke coming from the burned and bleeding wound.

Beast Boy felt the pain, and saw the shot. Ignoring everything around him, he changed once more into the beast he had known was still inside of him, and destroyed everything that got in his way.

The men had given up hope when they saw the girl fall. But seeing she was alive, and seeing Beast Boy's violent attacks, they began to fight back. With a shout of rage, the general jumped up.

"Come on, you idiots!" he shouted to his men, "They've given us a chance. We're outnumbered two to one, and we'll all die here if we don't take it! Lets give 'em hell!"

He charged out into the battle, rushing at the robots and firing madly into them. Dozens fell, and with a scream the rest of the men jumped up and charged in. Explosions and gunshots were everywhere, as the outnumbered humans fought for survival.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

By dawn, all of the robots were destroyed. The humans had suffered a 12 percent loss, but that was deemed more than acceptable under the conditions. Wild celebrations began as soon as the last robot had fallen.

"Raven, are you okay?" Beast Boy shouted over the chaos, rushing towards her. It was a stupid question. He knew she had been shot, he could feel her pain. He knelt next to her, watching blood flow from her shoulder.

She grimaced, then tried to stand slowly. After a moment, Raven slipped in her own blood, landing on her injured shoulder and shouting in pain. As much as Raven hated to admit it, even to herself, she knew she was about to black out from the pain.

A medic rushed over, panting heavily and lugging a small medical kit. He quickly stopped the bleeding, and wrapped a bandage loosely around her arm, then gave her a small dose of morphine and ran to a man with a broken leg about 10 feet away.

Best Boy felt the painkiller have a slight effect on him; he would never get used to their "uni-mind".

"How's the battle going, Beast Boy?" she asked him weakly. Her eyes were slightly glazed as she said, "Are we winning? Or are we all going to die?" Her words were slurred from the medication and the wounds, and the "or" sounder more like an "oh" or "ah"

The cheers that had been surrounding them rose louder, and Beast Boy smiled, saying, "Does that answer your question?"

He looked up. Many dead humans littered the field, but they were hard to see among all the destroyed robots. Despite the losses, it was the first defeat Slade had suffered in a year. Beast Boy felt his spirits rise. He had killed Cinderblock. Maybe he was worthy of seeing his friends again.

Raven moaned lightly, and the medic looked over at them. He looked exhausted. "What're you still doing here?" he demanded, "She should be on her way to an infirmary!"

Beast Boy nodded, and two teens came over. He morphed into a horse (to the great surprise of those who stood nearby, and who hadn't seen his or Raven's powers), and knelt next to her.

"What?" Raven slurred through the drugs, "You think we'd dress like this if we weren't superheroes? Or have you just never seen a green horse?"

The recruits hesitantly helped her onto Beast Boy's back, and then he stood and walked slowly away. The people watched, awestruck.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The survivors had formed a massive parade-style block and were marching home. The general walked along side the horse, and a messenger ran over, the sun setting behind him. Raven began singing a song she remembered.

Well a man come on the 6 o'clock news… 

The messenger saluted. The general motioned for him to join them. Raven rubbed her aching shoulder as the teen began to report about the betrayal of the humans under Slade's command.

**Said somebody's been shot;**

**Somebody's been abused…**

They walked past a cabin that had been destroyed some time during the battle. From the remains, it had been a very nice cabin. A jeep full of celebrating soldiers drove past. The messenger spoke of two former commanders, Kyle and Nathan. They had willingly stayed with Slade's army in an attempt to destroy as much of it as possible from the inside. They were responsible for nearly an eighth of the destroyed robots. Unfortunately Nate had been killed while trying to escape. Kyle had rejoined the resistance.

**Somebody blew up a building,**

**Somebody stole a car.**

**Somebody got away,**

**Somebody didn't get to far, yeah.**

**They didn't get to far…**

The general spoke then of how Slade would pay. He spoke of the way justice had been "before the system got weak."

**Grand pappy told my pappy,**

"**Back in my day, son,**

**A man had to answer**

**For the wicked that he done."**

**Take all the rope in Texas,**

**Find a tall oak tree,**

**Round up all of them bad boys;**

**Hang 'em high in the street**

**For all the people to see…**

Raven patted Beast Boy's neck as he carried her. She did appreciate what he was doing. He gave a happy little hop, then began walking normally. She continued singing:

**That justice is the one thing you should always find.**

**You got to saddle up your boys;**

**You got to draw a hard line.**

As they continued, the haze from the battle finally cleared and the sun shined through. The men laughed and cheered like little kids. Some ran up and down with drinks and snacks of all different kinds.

**When the gun smoke settles, we'll sing a victory tune.**

**We'll all meet back at the local saloon.**

**We'll raise up our glasses against evil forces,**

Singing, "Whiskey for my men, beer for my horses!" 

The men laughed, cheering for the singer. One spoke to Beast Boy, saying something about him being underage, causing more men to laugh. After a moment, someone else began singing. A badge on his jacket showed he was a former policeman.

**We've got too many gangsters doing dirty deeds.**

**We've got too much corruption, too much crime in the streets.**

Another man spoke up now. Raven laughed appreciatively, and a nearby tree exploded. The people jumped, then laughed. Raven quickly calmed down to a controllable level.

**Its time the long arm of the law put a few more in the ground.**

A third man, carrying a Bible, sang the final words.

**Send 'em all to their maker and he'll settle 'em down.**

**You can bet he'll set 'em down.**

The people laughed, and about a dozen or so began to sing, plus Raven. Beast Boy hummed the song in his head.

**Cause justice is the one thing you should always find.**

**You got to saddle up your boys;**

**You got to draw a hard line.**

**When the gun smoke settles, we'll sing a victory tune.**

**We'll all meet back at the local saloon.**

Almost a hundred people sang the end of the song. Even the general joined in.

**We'll raise up our glasses against evil forces,**

Singing, "Whiskey for my men, beer for my horses!" 

They people clapped, laughing. They had won a battle. They deserved to celebrate.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Well, the battle wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. It could have been worse though, I guess. Oh well.

Lol, so what'd you all think of the last part? Kinda pathetic though… a bunch of people singing Toby Keith songs after a battle, but I like that song. I'm the writer; I get to choose what they do! I stick my tongue out at you

Anyways, I'm going to have the last chapter posted on Christmas Eve. It may be 11:59 pm, but I'll have it on Christmas Eve.

And finally, I know I forget to mention it a lot, but this is a Christmas story. Sorry to anyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas.

Wait… one last thing. I know the first story was more of a sad-creepy one. This one will get more violent in the last chapter. That's when Terra, BB, Rae, and Slade all go into a bloody melee. The next chapters aren't central to the plot, just building on the BB-Rae relationship a little, but they're all (once more) songfics. They're set to Jimmy Buffett's "Trip Around the Sun", "Sea of Heartbreak", and "Playing the Loser Again". If you honestly don't want to read these, you can just go to the last chapter (once more, posted on 12/24). They should be pretty soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, here is one of the new chapters. It will actually have 2 songs, neither of which have anything to do with the holidays (well, I guess one does) and for the sake of argument, in my twisted little universe (the one in the story) lets all believe me when I say Beast Boy's birthday is December 22. When I wrote this, I was planning on it being on the 14th, or possibly the 29th, but then I realized it was too late to have it be on the 14th, and since I wanted to be finished by the 24th, I couldn't have it on the 29th…

So, I'll start rambling. To any Parrot heads, you'll probably like the next two chapters (or at least the songs in them).

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Beast Boy sat alone in his "room", a small cubicle in an abandoned office building in San Diego. He had been sent to scout at the area around Slade's palace to help them plan an attack. It was a show of confidence in him; not only was he away from Raven (or as away as he could be with the spell linking them), but he was also in charge of a dozen commandos. Ten of the commandos were out on missions. The other, Kyle, was being treated for mild injuries in the previous battle, and he was going to be on the next mission.

Beast Boy sat in silence in his room. He looked around, and opened the small pack he had brought with him. There were only a few items: spare clothes for about a week (and he doubted he'd live that long), Robin's gear, Terra's gift, and Starfire's Photo book. Beast Boy took out the book and flipped through it.

The first couple pictures were of just after the Titan's had been formed. He saw one that was of all of them sleeping after Raven's powers had been taken over by her fear. They all lay scattered around the living room (except for Star, who was taking the picture).

After a couple pages, he came to some of a party. Looking at them, he realized that they were of his birthday party from the year before. He had killed the others on Christmas, and his party had been on December 22. With a start, he realized it was once again the 22nd.

Beast Boy sighed and closed the book. From the room next to his, he heard soft music playing. He realized that he hadn't seen or heard a TV or radio since he had woken up. No one was left alive to run the stations anymore.

Beast Boy carried the book with him into Kyle's cubicle, where the music was coming from. There was a CD player sitting on the side of a small cot, and he recognized the singer, although he couldn't quite remember the name or the songs. Finally the next song started. It was one he had heard several times before, and he sat and listened to the soft words.

**Here I'm singing "Happy Birthday";**

**Better think about the wish I make.**

**This year gone by ain't been a piece of cake.**

**Everyday's a revolution;**

**Pull it together and it comes undone.**

**Just one more candle and a trip around the sun.**

Well, this year had been a hard one… not for him, really. He had been unconscious for most of it. But for the rest of the people, it sure as hell had been. Beast Boy looked at the book, gently sliding his hand across the cover.

**I'm just hangin' on while this old world keeps spinning,**

**And its good to know it's out of my control.**

It was a comfort to know that he wasn't really responsible for the deaths of his team. He'd have long since given up if he had. He had no control whatsoever of anything that happened. He was Raven's puppet, doing what she told him to do so that they could destroy Slade… and Terra.

**If there's one thing that I've learned from all this livin',**

**It's that it wouldn't change a thing if I let go.**

It probably wouldn't make a difference if he just let go. Slade and Terra had control now. They had been able to get one victory, but they were still outnumbered 30 to 1. But what If it did change things?

No you never see it comin' 

**Always wind up wonderin' where it went.**

**Only time will tell if it was time well spent.**

The only way to find out if this was a waste of time was to go through with it. He just hoped he would have the time to do something worthwhile with the time he had left.

**It's another revelation:**

**Celebrating what I should have done**

**With these souvenirs of my trip around the sun.**

Souvenirs… he had gotten pain. But he had also gotten friendship. There were so many things he wished he could've done differently with their friendships. If he had, maybe he could've fought Slade's control. A fight over what to have for breakfast or what videogame to play seemed like stupid things in the long run.

**I'm just hangin' on while this old world keeps spinning,**

**And its good to know it's out of my control.**

But if everything was out of his control, it wouldn't have made any difference, would it? He thought long and hard about that as he flipped idly through the book. It was hard to believe that 363 days ago he and his friends were… enjoying themselves.

**If there's one thing that I've learned from all this livin',**

**It's that it wouldn't change a thing if I let go.**

_I wish I could let go, _Beast Boy thought, _but Raven needs my help._

Yes I'll make a resolution 

**That I'll never make another one.**

It was a good idea. Beast Boy decided to live by those words. He didn't need a resolution. He probably wouldn't be living long enough. And if he did, Raven could make a resolution for him.

**Just enjoy this ride on my trip around the sun.**

**Just enjoy this ride…**

As the song ended, Beast Boy wished he could enjoy his trip around the sun. He looked sadly at a picture of all of them, taken from a newspaper. It was of all of them at the 4th of July parade last year, all celebrating.Raven was actually smiling, although she didn't completely understand the concept of the holiday, and Starfire was happily looking at all the floats. Cyborg was taunting Beast Boy. Robin looked exhausted, but extremely happy.

Until it's done… 

_Yeah,_ he thought, _I'll keep this up… for them._ He would keep going. Maybe he wouldn't enjoy the ride anymore, but he'd ride it… for all of them.

"Who are they?" Kyle asked from the entrance to the cubicle. He gestured to the picture. Beast Boy looked at him. He hadn't heard him enter. Then he sighed and looked down at the picture.

"They're my old friends…" he pointed to each of them, "This is obviously Raven… You've spoken to her."

"She's happy," Kyle said, "Smiling and everything."

"Yeah," Beast Boy said, looking at her face. After a moment, he added, "She isn't very often though… And this is Starfire. Then Cyborg, and Robin."

Kyle smiled, "They're all so happy there… It's been so long since I've seen anyone happy. Where are they?"

Beast Boy hesitated a moment, then sighed. He took out his communicator and asked Cyborg to see if they could all come, if it wasn't too much work. Moments later, Robin, Starfire, and the odd phantom of Cyborg appeared behind Beast Boy.

Kyle looked at them, confused and slightly scared. The Titan ghosts understood what had happened. Starfire laughed and sat down next to Beast Boy and looked at the pictures. Cyborg stood slightly uncomfortably behind Beast Boy, and Robin spoke to Kyle.

"Uh… Hey," he said, "I heard you took out a ton of Slade's robots. Good job, and I'm sorry about your friend."

Kyle looked down at Beast Boy, saying, "What happened?"

"I killed them," Beast Boy said, "Slade took over my body, and forced me to kill them."

Cyborg grabbed Beast Boy's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. He shivered slightly. Kyle looked at him, then nodded.

"Yeah, well… I haven't exactly been perfect, either," he said, "My friend, Nate, was a strong believer in Slade. I knew the truth better than Nate. During the battle, he tried to stop me from attacking the robots. I was forced to kill him."

The others looked at the ground. The spirits slowly faded. Beast Boy looked up, "I need a second in command… and since you're the most experienced person here, and the one I trust most, I'm putting you in charge."

Kyle saluted, shouting, "Yes, sir!"

After an awkward moment, Kyle let his hand drop. The song that had been playing ended, and another started. Beast Boy hummed quietly along to the opening. Somewhere on the East Coast, planning an attack, Raven heard the words going through her brain, and she listened to them. She began to sing the first verse.

The lights in the harbor 

**Don't shine for me.**

**I'm like a lost ship;**

Lost on the sea… 

Raven felt lost. She was torn between not wanting to hurt Beast Boy (who was, after all, her only friend now), and wanting to kill him. He had killed her other friends. Every good thing, she had shunned. Every good thing that any of them had done for her. Why? Because it wasn't for her. But now she knew differently.

**The Sea of Heartbreak.**

**Lost love and loneliness,**

**Memories of your caress;**

**So divine.**

**I wish that you were mine**

**Again my dear.**

**I'm on a sea of tears…**

**A sea of heartbreak.**

Raven knew that, for a time, Beast Boy had loved her. Perhaps he always had. And for quite a while following Malchior's abuse of her trust, she had loved him. She still did, deep down, but she couldn't ever show love to a murderer, even an unwilling one. She feel silent and thought.

How did I lose you? 

**Where did I fail?**

**Why did you leave me,**

**Always to sail…**

Beast Boy sang along quietly. He felt horrible. He had failed his friends. He had failed Raven. There had been hints she had liked him, but each time, he had been his normal stupid self. And now it was too late. How could she ever like him now?

**The Sea of Heartbreak?**

**Lost love and loneliness,**

**Memories of your caress;**

**So divine.**

**I wish that you were mine**

**Again my dear.**

**I'm on a sea of tears…**

**A sea of heartbreak.**

He wished he could be with her. He hoped he could someday prove himself worthy of her love, or at least her friendship. Memories of the times they had actually gotten along well flashed through his mind.

Raven smiled slightly. Maybe someday, she would forgive him. After all this was over she might. Although many miles separated them, Beast Boy's and Raven's voices sang together.

**Oh what I'd give to sail back to shore;**

**Back to your arms once more.**

Beast Boy wanted, more than anything, to be with Raven. And he would do anything to be with her.

Raven thought that maybe she did still love him. It was a difficult thought for her, since she hadn't even admitted to herself that she loved him before he had murdered her friends. But she needed to be with someone now.

**So come to my rescue;**

**Come here to me.**

**Take me, and keep me,**

**Away from this sea;**

Although neither would admit it, both Titans needed the other. That was why the spell had worked. That was why, although there was no way the could've known it, the both sang.

**This Sea of Heartbreak.**

**Lost love and loneliness,**

**Memories of your caress;**

**So divine.**

**I wish that you were mine**

**Again my dear.**

**I'm on a sea of tears…**

**A sea of heartbreak.**

Beast Boy would prove it. He would personally kill Terra. Then he would be worthy of Raven's love.

Raven smiled. She would give him a chance; if he did what she told him to do. Once he helped defeat Slade, she would forgive him…

Kyle looked at him uncomfortably, and then slowly left to find food and to get the reports from the incoming scouts.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ok, yeah, that was kinda stupid. I had free time, and I wanted to put something for the 22nd. I wasn't sure how I wanted to do this, but I guess it worked. Next chapter Beast Boy and Raven reunite for the final battle. That could be interesting, lol…


	5. Chapter 5

Well, this may not be the best chapter out of the story… I'm trying to write it in about an hour, and I don't really have much planned for it. Second, I'm listening to Blue Collar Comedy, so it may not turn out exactly as I want.

Anyways, this song is (once again) a Jimmy Buffett song. And since I haven't said it in a while, I'll say it now.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the songs or characters (except Nate, Kyle, and the general) in this book, regardless of the chapter. Some of the plot twists come from Sosmo, and while he hasn't shown any intention of using them, I'd like to mention him here.**

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Raven and the rest of the army had arrived early on December 23. She looked at Beast Boy calmly, and he felt a sudden anger boil up inside him. He didn't know why, but he was suddenly mad at everyone. He stormed into his cubicle-room, trying appear natural.

She knew he wasn't acting normally, but she had more important things on her mind. She spoke to Kyle, his 2nd in command, and they began to formulate a strategy to attack Slade's palace.

Several hours later, they had formulated a strategy. The general was to take a majority of the army inside, and assault the robots directly. Raven, Beast Boy, Kyle, and the commandos would sneak inside through the diversion. Once they were in, the commandos would look for any prisoners (and open the doors for the army), while Raven and Beast Boy went to find Terra and Slade. They were trying to do it stealthily if they could, but they weren't sure if it would be possible.

During this whole time, Beast Boy hadn't left his room. Finally Raven sent Kyle to tell them the plan. After 10 minutes he came back.

"He's not listening," Kyle said, "He's in a pissy mood for some reason. I don't know why."

Raven growled and stormed into his room, shouting, "What is wrong with you now?"

Beast Boy glared at her, then dropped a book into his bag. She recognized it as Starfire's photo book. She didn't bother to ask him why he had it.

"Well?" she demanded. After a moment he lowered his gaze.

"I'm sorry, Raven," he murmured, calming down, "For a while there, it was almost like last year. I felt mad, and I didn't know why."

Raven nodded, hearing the opening music of a song starting somewhere nearby, "The chemicals Slade used to modify your brain haven't completely been eliminated yet. I'm suriprised this is the first time its happened."

Beast Boy looked at her, hesitated, and then asked her what she had wanted, "Raven, could you ever forgive me? I mean… enough to love me?"

He asked her in a way that made her realize it was very important to him. She didn't know at the moment, though. They were about to go into battle with Terra and Slade. The memory of the last confrontation with Terra flashed through her mind.

**Don't break my heart again.**

**Let it end.**

**You don't love me…**

He had still loved Terra then, as much as he said he didn't. And she knew the he still loved her now. It had hurt her, because she thought, for a short time, that she did love him. Then Terra had come back, and all hell had broken lose. He had broken her heart, and she wouldn't let it happen again.

**Don't make me start again,**

**This achin' in my heart.**

Beast Boy looked at her, waiting for an answer. He could tell she was having some difficulty choosing what to say. Finally she spoke, saying, "I dunno, Beast Boy… I honestly don't know."

**Don't make me hope again,**

**Knowin' when you've grown tired of me**

**That you'll just disappear**

**And leave me waiting here;**

**Playin' the loser again.**

She could sense that he did love her, but he had loved her before. And she didn't want to hope. He had abandoned her when Terra came along. She had waited for hm, and he had returned to her for a brief time after Terra's "death". But then he had drifted away again.

Beast Boy shook his head. He had thought for a moment that she was going to say yes. He looked at her, knowing that they wouldn't survive the coming battle, and she would have to chose before the end.

**Don't give me hope, then take it away.**

**Cause' I'll show my weakness and beg you to stay.**

**Don't give me something to build all around,**

**Then just for a thrill, you tear it all down.**

"Raven," he muttered, "You have to chose now. There won't be a chance later. I have to know."

She looked at him. Her emotions began to build, and the pain they were both feeling spread to the other.

**Don't make me dream again.**

**It's a sin to make love to me,**

**And then just disappear,**

**And leave me waiting here,**

**Playing the loser again.**

"You're just going to forget before the end, BB," she said, trying to speak calmly and logically. She could almost feel the spirits of her friends watching and listening.

"No I won't!" Beast Boy shouted, his face flushing in anger.

"Beast Boy, you'll see Terra, and you'll forget all about me," she said, "And even if you don't, I'll have to kill you for what you did to the others. I can't do that if I love you."

He glared at her.

**Don't give me hope, then take it away.**

**Cause' I'll show my weakness and beg you to stay.**

**Don't give me something to build all around,**

**Then just for a thrill, you tear it all down.**

They sat facing each other. Objects became encased in blackness and began flying around the room. A light overhead exploded, raining thin shards of glass down upon them.

**Don't make me hope again,**

**Knowin' when you've grown tired of me**

**That you'll just disappear**

**And leave me waiting here;**

**Playin' the loser again.**

Beast Boy turned coldly and walked out. Raven sat on his bed, her head resting in her hands as she thought. She heard an explosion and the music stopped suddenly. In the next cubicle, Kyle shouted something, and some other people laughed.

Several minutes later, a once-more unfeeling Raven walked to the makeshift control room to continue giving orders for the battle.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Somewhere in Hawaii, the two young men landed and looked around. They ate a quick meal, and then spoke briefly.

"We must hurry. The parents will die tomorrow if we don't get there. And then we'll fail."

"Yes," the other said. They looked to the east.

Neither knew who the "parents" were, or why they called them that. They had known their parents, and seen them die. However, they were told that they would learn from these two, as children would learn from their parents, so that is what they called them.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Okay, sorry about this chapter being short, but I didn't really plan on it to be central to the plot. It all ends tomorrow, after all.

Actually, that's not completely true. Depending on whether I get bored or not, I may add a new chapter. It won't be a long one, but I think I should add something about what happens to all of them.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, this is it. The final chapter of Slade and the Titans (at least in my version). I highly doubt there'll be a sequel, unless people ask.

Hopefully this'll explain a bit about the "two young men". If not, I **may** add another chapter to help explain.

Oh yeah, and this has some language and a bit of violence. Probably not enough to get an R rating, but I'm warning you just in case.

Oh yeah, thanks to Terrawillrise (whoever you are) and I agree about Terra being good as Slade's apprentice. Terra will probably give you a surprise here... I'm not sure how she'll really turn out.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or The Night Before Christmas**

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Snow fell gently through the air. The attack was about to begin. It was now Christmas Eve.

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the caves 

**Not a creature was stirring, not even a slave.**

All the prisoners were locked up. The commando snuck slowly through the caves, they knew nobody would know that they were there. Kyle looked out a nearby window; dense fog shrouded everything.

_Good,_ he thought, _that'll help the army._

**The robots stood armed near the palace with care,**

**Knowing surviving humans soon might be there.**

The palace was silent. The commando squad moved out.

**And Slade sat there calmly, he sat in his throne,**

**His cold breath echoing through the large room of stone.**

Slade thought he heard a noise. He looked to the door, but when nothing followed, he sat back down. The Titans were dead, and despite their recent victory, the humans were no match for him, after all.

**Terra laid on her bed as she slept fitfully,**

**The dull, evil light glinted off her jewelry.**

Terra had just laid into bed to sleep. Although she fell asleep instantly, she wasn't exactly in a peaceful slumber.

The dim light shined off a small ring she was wearing. The thin beam went out the half-open door and illuminated a small patch of green flesh.

**And out in the halls, Beast Boy approached silently.**

**He was going to kill her; he would do it with glee.**

Beast Boy was ready to kill her. She was responsible, in part, for the deaths of his friends, and completely for the pain he had caused Raven. And he was hell-bent on proving he didn't love the traitor. He approached the room silently.

**He opened the door and looked into the room.**

**Even as he snuck in he was planning her doom.**

He snuck in quietly, thinking, _A bear… that'd be an appropriately painful death._

Raven silently stepped in behind him. Apparently she wasn't silent enough. Terra awoke and peered groggily around the room

"Who's there?" she asked.

**Terra opened her eyes and things became clear;**

**She looked at Beast Boy and her eyes filled with fear.**

"What?" she demanded when she realized who was staring at her, "No, you're dead! I watched you die!"

Raven smirked at the girl, "We're just here to say 'Merry Christmas' to our favorite traitorous bitch."

Terra glared back at her. Beast Boy stepped between them.

"And I've got a surprise for you."

**He approached her slowly and gave her a shock.**

**He did the one thing that even she could not mock.**

He took out the small gift and set it gently on her bed. Raven growled something. Terra looked at the gift cautiously for a moment. Then she slowly tore it open.

Two small items fell out. One was a set of earrings, exact replicas of the Titan's Tower. The other was a key card and a key. She recognized the key as one to Cyborg's car. The card, she knew, gave complete access to the entire tower. Only people the Titans trusted completely and were "welcoming into the family" were given these.

Her eyes filled with tears. She remembered everything she had done with the Titans… and everything she had done to them.

Terra hated Slade. She saw now just how evil he really was. And she was going to help the Titans kill him.

"Beast Boy… I'm so sorry," she said, "And to you too, Raven. I'll help you kill Slade."

**Because of this action, the girl let her guard drop;**

**He sprang upon her like a locust on a crop.**

Terra looked up. She was staring into the eyes of a massive green Grizzly bear. It growled and jumped upon her, clawing angrily. Bones snapped from his weight and chunks of flesh flew across the small room as she screamed in pain, horror, and sadness.

He did not injure, he meant to destroy 

**As Terra and Raven both shouted, "Stop Beast Boy."**

Raven realized that Terra had really changed this time… but she also knew she deserved this. Anyways, it was too late to save her. It would be better if Beast Boy killed her now. And so Raven stopped shouting and watched.

**And yet still he attacked her until she had died.**

**Then Raven looked down upon the body and sighed.**

Beast Boy leaned down and bit at her throat. As he pulled up, Raven saw blood dripping from his fur, Terra's windpipe (or pieces of it) was stuck between his teeth.

Raven looked at the mutilated, unrecognizable body… another friend was dead.

**Beast Boy looked at Terra; then he looked at Raven.**

**He knew that there was only Slade to kill then.**

**Raven looked down at the body before her;**

**She looked at the beast as blood dripped from his fur.**

"Come on, Beast Boy," she said, walking to the door.

**Raven still felt pain as she walked out Terra's door,**

**And as Beast Boy followed, she knew there'd be more.**

Their shoulders still ached from the wound Raven had received as she walked outside. Beast Boy followed, changing back into his human form, blood still dripping from his face and hands.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Soon they were standing outside Slade's throne room. They looked at each other. Then they charged in.

"Azerath Metrion Zynthos!" Raven shouted, pointing at a massive chandelier. It became encased in black and flew at their startled foe. He just barely dodged it, and his throne was destroyed, sending fragments everywhere.

Beast Boy charged at him, pulling out Robin's staff. He knew that he was nowhere near Robin's skill level, but Robin would've wanted to hit Slade at least once, and this was as close as he could get to doing that.

"I see you've come to get revenge," Slade said, laughing. He pulled out an identical staff.

Raven watched as Beast Boy fought. Amazingly, he got in a half dozen good hits before Slade knocked the staff out of his hand.

Raven used her powers to fling chunks of the throne at Slade, but he nimbly dodged them.

**Raven and Beast Boy both attacked their old foe.**

**But what happened next, well, they never did know.**

Slade laughed and pulled out a gun. It looked like the ones that the robots used, except it was about twice as large.

He fired off a series of shots at Raven, and she knew she couldn't dodge them. She closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

Beast Boy watched as a massive block quickly slid out from the wall, blocking them. Apparently Terra really had changed. Even after death she was helping them, despite what Beast Boy had done to her.

Now the battle had turned. How could the evil win? 

**But Beast Boy heard one shot echoing through the din.**

They continued fighting, sure that they had won. Terra continued to assist them, but then Slade fired a lucky shot. It hit Raven square in the stomach.

**As he turned, Raven fell; with a sigh she collapsed**

**And Slade laughed cruelly, he thought he had won, perhaps.**

Beast Boy turned and watched the bold go completely through her, leaving a hole nearly two inches across. She collapsed; she didn't even have enough strength to scream.

Pain suddenly shot through Beast Boy. Looking down, he saw that he had an identical wound through his own body. He struggled over to Raven, blood dripping down to the floor in a steady stream, as Slade began to laugh.

Beast Boy kneeled down and held the dying girls hand 

**And Beast Boy turned 'round. And then he began to stand.**

Beast Boy held her hand, surprised that they were both still alive. She looked at him weakly, blood spilling out of them.

He gripped her hand, then grabbed one of Robin's boomerangs from his pocket. He turned to Slade. He would go down fighting.

"How touching," Slade laughed, raising the weapon and shooting the boomerang from Beast Boy's hand, "Now you can go join your stupid little friends."

Beast Boy stood calmly, looking down at Raven as Slade aimed at his head. It was over.

**But the two young men ran in, and they both drew a large mace.**

**They stepped before the teens, and gazed in their enemy's face.**

The two young men ran in, pulling out weapons. One turned to look at the teens.

"We've come," he said to Raven. Then he turned back to Slade.

Beast Boy looked at the strange newcomers. They were both dressed like Raven, but in all gray. He could hear the clink of armor under their cloaks.

"Thank you," she replied.

They charged into battle, not hearing what was said. 

**They fought and attacked until sure Slade was dead.**

The newcomers rushed at Slade, swinging their maces with strength unmatched even by Cyborg. Their speed was even greater than Robin's as they fought. After several minutes, Slade collapsed from exhaustion.

"Congratulations," he said, "You've defeated me."

One watched as the other stepped forward. With a massive swing, he crushed Slade's chest with the weapon. Blood spewed from the mask, and the sound of bones snapping echoed through the room. Then both young men put their weapons away and turned.

**They turned to find Raven and Beast Boy had left.**

**Without the two Titans, these two were bereft.**

The Titans were gone.

"Brother, what shall we do?" one asked. For the first time, he appeared scared.

"We must learn from them," the other said, "otherwise the new evil will defeat us. We must find out parents."

They ran out to look for Raven and Beast Boy.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Raven and Beast Boy both spoke quietly outside.**

**Both knew it would be a short time before they died.**

"You did it Beast Boy," Raven said weakly. During the battle he had carried her outside.

"I didn't do anything… they did," he said, referring to the people, "Who are they?"

"They're the next generation of Titans. In a way, the sons of the current ones… or old ones depending on how you look at it. We were supposed to train them, but now we can't, and they're doomed," She grunted as a fresh wave of pain flooded through them. Slowly she reached inside her cloak.

**She held out an object; she would die by his knife.**

**And out in the fog they both heard a loud fife.**

She held the knife from the previous year out to him. It was still coated in dried blood.

Celebratory music drifted to them. The humans must have won.

**Beast Boy gazed at the girl, his eyes filled with dread.**

**He sat down beside her, his legs full of lead.**

Beast Boy sat next to her and took the knife. He looked at her. It was impossible for him to believe that she had it with her.

**She gazed at him sadly, her eyes filled with trust.**

**He knew what to do: He had to kill her; he must.**

Raven looked at him. She had wanted to kill him… and now she wanted him to kill her. The pain was overwhelming her.

"Beast Boy," she said softly through the pain, "Please do it."

He shook his head, his eyes filled with pain, "No… You need to kill me, to get revenge."

She sighed, "I wasn't going to decide whether or not I would forgive you, because I knew if I did, I wouldn't be able to kill you. Well… I've chosen. I forgive you Beast Boy… and I think I may love you, now that its too late."

He looked at her, tears welling up in his eyes.

"So you can either kill us quickly now… or leave us in pain for the next 20 or so minutes…"

**She watched him, now calmly, no hate in her eyes.**

Sadly he put the blade against Raven's chest. She put her hand over his and nodded.

With one quick thrust, he ended her pain. He felt complete emptiness as he heard her gurgle momentarily, and then a stab… then nothing.

**And as he slid the knife in, she uttered no cries.**

**The young men ran outside and saw the two dead.**

**They knew they had failed; one sadly hung his head.**

Several hours later the new Titans found their "parents". Beast Boy lay next to Raven, his hands still on the dagger which protruded from her bodies.

"We can't win," one said.

"No… without them, evil will defeat us," the other said, "But we must try anyway."

Silently they picked up the bodies. They walked slowly towards the coast; they were going to the tower, their new home.

They saw someone fly overhead, in the same direction. The next generation was already gathering.

**They turned then; they would attempt to rebuild the land.**

They carried the story of the Titans' last stand… 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Everyone had left. Kyle stumbled into the former throne room. He had been injured, and his face was now horribly disfigured. He had been unconscious during the celebrations, and was thought dead… but he was not.

Kyle saw Slade's body in the center of the room, soaked in blood and crushed. Hesitantly, he reached for the mask and pulled it off. He vomited; the face was more horrible than anything he had ever seen.

A white dust drifted up, into Kyle's mouth and down to his lungs. He coughed, then realized he had to hide his disfigurements… he didn't know why he suddenly thought this.

Kyle slipped away, dragging the body, and clipping the mask into place on his own head…

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ok, what'd you all think of it? Please review, and if you don't understand the "sons", please tell me (in reviews) and I will try to explain things better. I think I may have to do another chapter to do it, but oh well, I haven't got anything better to do. Also, if you think I should write more (a sequel or something) go ahead and tell me. I'm not planning on it, but obviously I set it up so I could if people wanted.

Well, please review, no matter what you think. If you hate it, go ahead and tell me.

Happy Holidays from Christmas Island, everybody. Stay safe, and I'll probably write something (most likely for my series, which I've ignored for the past week or so) after New Years. I'll be with my band at the holiday bowl (look for us).


	7. Chapter 7

Well, I swore to myself that I wouldn't write anything today, and probably not until after New Years, but I've decided to put another chapter onto the story. So here goes…

Keep in mind that this chapter takes place on Christmas day (the day after Raven, Beast Boy, Terra, and Slade died).

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

When Raven woke up, she didn't know where she was… or when it was. She looked around her, seeing Beast Boy lying next to her. She stretched, the pains of the past couple days slipping off her shoulders.

She looked at him, sleeping peacefully. He didn't have the hole in his stomach. Surprised, she quickly looked at her own stomach; no hole. And she didn't feel any pain.

"Beast Boy," she hissed, shaking him until he awoke, "Something's not right."

He woke up and looked around, saying, "It wasn't me! What'd I do?"

"Nothing… shut up Beast Boy," she said. She reached out and poked him in the stomach where the hole had been, and he jumped.

"What?"

"It's gone. The wound is gone, Beast Boy," she said. He looked at himself, then at her. And then he looked past her. His eyes opened wide, and she turned and looked.

Behind her was a land of beauty unlike any she had ever seen. It was surrounded by a low wall, made of shimmering gold and silver, and with sparkling diamonds surmounting bars every couple feet. Directly in front of them was an archway. Starfire, Cyborg, and Robin stood inside, looking out at them happily.

"Where are we?" Beast Boy asked quietly.

"I don't know… but I've never seen anywhere like it," Raven answered.

The three friends behind the arch waved to them to come in. A soft breeze blew out, carrying with it the gently fragrance of plumerias. Slowly Raven rose, and walked with Beast Boy towards the beautiful vision.

Beast Boy, several steps ahead of her, ran the last couple steps and was embraced by an ecstatic Starfire. She lifted him into the air; the sound of his choking the only noises other than the friend's welcoming him. They turned as Raven took the last step.

She couldn't go in. It was like an invisible wall. She pushed harder, and a sudden rush of hot air blew her back several feet. She looked at the archway in confusion.

A small mirror on the edge of the archway caught her eye. As she walked over to it, words appeared in beautiful cursive.

_No demon shall enter here._

She gazed in the mirror, feeling her entire world crash down upon her. She grew very cold.

"What is it, Raven?" Starfire asked, landing and releasing Beast Boy, who collapsed, breathing deeply.

"I can't go in," Raven said in disbelief. She looked at her friends longingly. She would be separated from them again… forever this time.

"What?" Robin asked her.

"I can't go in… because of the demon in me," tears fell down her face. In death, however, her powers didn't get released when she was emotional, it seemed, because nothing exploded.

"But… it let me in, and I've killed 3 of my friends, plus you and technically me, and Terra," Beast Boy said, looking at her.

"Yeah well… apparently this isn't heaven," Raven said. She turned, and walked miserably away from the gates. Then she heard a girl yell to her.

"Raven, wait!"

Raven turned slowly, to see Terra standing with her friends. Beast Boy looked surprised for a moment, and then looked back out at Raven.

"I'm glad to see that you've changed, Terra," Raven said, feeling like she was being ripped apart, "But now I've got to go."

She looked at Beast Boy, then closed her eyes. There was a feeling of extremely fast movement, and then she opened her eyes. She was looking at the Titan Tower. Raven turned slowly, noticing that the sun had just set. Silhouetted against the scene were six tombstones.

She walked slowly down to them. Her legs were full of lead as she took the last step to stand in front of her own grave. Beast Boy's was just to the right of hers. The rest were arranged behind them, with Terra being directly behind Beast Boy's. Raven didn't know who had done this, but she appreciated it. The bodies were now in a spot of dignity. As she looked behind, she noticed small sculptures, approximately three feet tall, carved to look like each of them. They gazed out at the city they had given their lives protecting.

The statues gave Raven mixed feelings. She knew that they had been a team in life, and they were now in death. But she was no longer a part of that team. Terra had replaced her, as she always knew she would.

She turned away from the monument, looking again at her old home. Three people stood on top. Two were the people who defeated Slade. The other was a girl, who dressed like Starfire, but looked a bit like Terra. They were the new Titans. But so few of them?

She heard a sound, and saw a figure coming up the beach. It apparently hadn't seen the people atop the tower. As it came closer, she saw that it was a boy, about 6 feet tall and with dirty blonde hair carrying a girl who appeared about 16 years old. Her brown hair was wet, as was the rest of the two people, and she was a light shade of blue, as though she had nearly drowned.

The boy stumbled up to the tower and attempted to go in. When the doors wouldn't open, he shouted in frustration and glared at it. Flames suddenly burst up and burned them away, and he carried the girl inside.

_So, _Raven thought, _Now they're all here…_

She sighed, knowing that the new team was complete… and she was not a part of that, either.

A hand squeezed her shoulder gently, and she turned to look into Beast Boy's face.

"Do you think we'd let you go forever without us?" he asked, "Who would I annoy?"

Terra laughed, "Yeah… we're a team. Even if I wasn't a very good team player before."

Raven looked around. All of them except Cyborg were there, smiling at her. They had given up paradise for the sake of her; to keep the team together.

She heard a crackling over the Tower's intercom, then Cyborg's voice.

"Hey, ya'll!" he shouted to the startled people in the tower, "I'm back online, lets get this party started!"

The two young men on the roof looked down at the Titans, and smiled. They had not failed. The parents were back to train them… and they had brought friends.

"Merry Christmas, Raven," Beast Boy said. She looked at him for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed him. The others looked away, trying not to laugh.

"Merry Christmas, you creep," she said, pushing him away and running up to the next generation of Titans, laughing.

Ok, well… I hope that at least gave someone a warm fuzzy feeling. I was in a good mood when I finished last chapter and so… I decided to write a happy ending.

Tell me what you think, even if you hated it and hope I spontaneously combust.


End file.
